Amazon Reviewers Swear This $12 Tool Is a Total Game-Changer for Your Instant Pot

Did everyone snag an Instant Pot during the holiday season? Good. If one of your goals for 2020 is to eat better and cook more nutritious meals, then you’ll want to grab this easy-to-use Instant Pot accessory that has Amazon reviewers raving about how it saves them time and even encourages them to make more meals. Drumroll please… It’s a silicone steamer basket! And right now you can get it on sale for $11 (normally $15).

While Instant Pots come with their own metal steamer trivets, several reviewers have deemed them too clunky and hard to clean. Even worse? They eventually start corroding after a few washes. The smooth silicone steamer, which is backed with a solid 4.8-star rating, is a much better solution that’s flexible enough to fit in both 6- and 8-quart cookers and is also dishwasher-friendly.

“We won’t discuss how ludicrous a metal rack in a non-stick pot is, but the solution is a non-metal rack. This silicone basket fits the bill,” said a reviewer. Another happy customer added, “The feet are solid and tall enough keep the food above a good amount of water. So your veggies get nicely steamed but not soaked and soggy.”

The steamer features two thick interlocking handles that make it easy to remove and insert, even when contents are piping hot. Unlike metal steamers, “The silicone handles don’t get hot so you can touch it right out of the pot of steam,” a reviewer noted. “And it’s well balanced so it doesn’t flop to one side and spill the steamed items back into the pot.” Once you’re done, simply fold the handles in and snap into the feet or roll it all up for easy storage.

Beyond steaming vegetables, dumplings, meats, fish, eggs, and more in your Instant Pot, several reviewers also discovered that the silicone basket can transform any regular ol’ pan into a steamer. One user even discovered a very innovative use for it: “I also find myself using this as a colander in the sink to hold my smaller portions of veg and fruit while I wash them.”

Once you grab a steamer basket for yourself, be sure to bookmark this how-to guide on properly steaming vegetables. Hint: It starts with cutting everything into uniform pieces and knowing how long certain veggies need to be steamed. And if you’re looking for even more helpful tools for your Instant Pot, try this gadget that turns it into an air fryer(!), plus nine other accessories we love.

Buy: Instant Pot Official Silicone Steamer Basket, $11 (normally $15)